In a destructive spell of pace bowling, Stuart Broad blew away New Zealand with career-best figures of 7 for 44 as England surged to a 170-run victory at Lord's. A Test that had begun at a cautious pace hurtled to a conclusion less than hour after lunch on the fourth day with New Zealand dismantled for 68.

Broad took the first five of his wickets in 5.4 overs before lunch to crush New Zealand's hopes that would have been reasonably high just an hour earlier after Tim Southee, with just the second ten-wicket haul by a New Zealander at Lord's, had instigated another collapse, England losing their last eight wickets for 54 dating back to Joe Root's dismissal on the third evening. Yet, to show that days of hard work can be undone in the blink of eye, they went to lunch six down having lost their captain, Brendon McCullum, on the stroke of the break to give Broad his eighth five-wicket haul and remove their last hope of making a dent in the target.

History was still weighted against New Zealand at the beginning of their pursuit of 239. Only two sides had chased more to win at Lord's: West Indies against England in 1984 and England against New Zealand in 2004. Still, with the sun peeping through and the day a touch warmer they might have been expected to get closer than they did.

Instead, Broad produced one of the eye-popping bursts that have been dotted through his Test career and which make it all the more exasperating when he appears to divert from the full length that makes him such a threat. The only wicket he took with a short ball was when Southee dimly pulled to deep square-leg. When he bowled Bruce Martin, who was suffering a calf strain that could end his tour, he had his second haul of seven at Lord's following his previous career-best against West Indies last year.

For the first time since 1936, England had just two men bowl unchanged through a completed all-out innings, although Broad and James Anderson did not quite share all ten wickets. The last fell to a chaotic run out after one of the substitute fielders, Adam Dobb, had not quite been able to gather a top-edged hook from Neil Wagner, who then ended up in the middle of the pitch. It was New Zealand's sixth-lowest total against England.

After bringing some solidity back to their batting, this was a reprise of the efforts that haunted New Zealand on the tour of South Africa. Peter Fulton played a big hand in his demise when he fiddled outside off to a delivery he should have left alone, completing a match that made his twin hundreds in Auckland feel a lifetime ago. Hamish Rutherford, though, could do little about the ball he received, which seamed away off middle and extracted the off stump.

Two deliveries later Broad added another, the key wicket of Ross Taylor, whose aggressive approach knocked England off their stride in the first innings, with a ball that seamed away and was edged low to first slip where Alastair Cook took an excellent catch. Like Fulton, Taylor may consider that he did not need to play but the early adrenalin of an innings can be difficult to control.

Broad's next success came in slightly more unconventional fashion for an opening bowler against the top order when Kane Williamson, the epitome of technical correctness and calmness, drove a fierce catch to catch to extra cover, which knocked Steven Finn off his feet.

Anderson compounded New Zealand's problems by producing one of the dismissals of the match. After hooping a delivery viciously back between Dean Brownlie's bat and pad - unplayable was a term not out of place - he then made the next delivery hold its line outside off stump and the batsman edged to first slip. McCullum tried to make a statement by not resisting his shots but was taken on the pad; he used the DRS - he had to - but the impact was just in line with off stump.

The final outcome was tremendously tough on Southee, whose six second-innings wickets had come in the space of 52 balls from late on the third day and placed him alongside Dion Nash on the ten-wickets honours board. In a hint of what was to follow over the next three hours, Finn (who would never have believed he would not be needed with the ball) edged the fifth ball of the day into the slips to begin a procession of 14 batsmen falling for 101.

Southee's five-wicket haul came when Ian Bell, still suffering from tonsillitis, edged loosely to third slip but his personal success will be scant consolation after what followed.

jmcilhinney, I agree with your assessment Broad/Anderson. I think of MOM as belonging to the individual who produced the best,sustained performance regardless of the team performance or match outcome - and to me that's Southee.
MOM seems to always go the a member of the winning side even though theirs may not have been the most outstanding individual performance.

vishal
on May 21, 2013, 10:59 GMT

and that why i love test cricket !!! here is a stage where u see a bowler having a go at the batsman and batsman instead of hoicking every ball ducks it leaves it and patiently waits for loose ones.... and here is a bowler who up for the challenge bowling full swinging deliveries making him play and producing an edge...
nothing is better than the sight of stumps getting uprooted or an edge carrying to keeper or slips fielders.....
every 1 has a chance to mark an impression on the game... and showcase each and every move,every shot !!!
TEST at its best....

Dummy4
on May 21, 2013, 9:12 GMT

It is time ICC should make a decision and put NZ, WI with Bangladesh and Zimbabwe in a separate FTP programme that will allow NZ to play more and more Tests and build their team to be competitive. Seems NZ cricket is not going anywhere rather than sitting at the bottom of Top 8 team ranking though I actually see it as 6 team are in the same league and 4 teams are in the similar league where Bangladesh and Zim are catching up fast. Nothing wrong with playing more test with lower ranked, at least they will be competitive and their players will gain confidence against BD and Zim.

Tahir
on May 21, 2013, 7:10 GMT

It will be interesting to see when india visit again the english soils. Broad was compared to Sreesanth by some before whitewash series but he proved with the bat and ball as well. During the tours to UAE and India he was half fit but was also played well in UAE. In India, the doctored pitches denied him.

Duncan
on May 20, 2013, 20:46 GMT

So I was hoping others had noticed @Beefy-for-PM the concerning thing is that England got bowled out twice, yes bowler friendly conditions, but nothing over 50 in the first innings? It does look like NZ attack has more to offer than on recent tours.

Jason
on May 20, 2013, 12:42 GMT

@JCM, In regards to the use of the SG, Duke or Kookuburra, wouldnt it be fun if you had several boxes of balls that covered all three main types, then after the toss the the Loosing captain randomly drew a box of balls (numbered balls in a sealed bag relating to a box) that would be used for that game.

It might mix things up a bit and allow bowlers to have a chance of using thier own 'home' ball.

John
on May 20, 2013, 12:15 GMT

@EnglishCricket on (May 20, 2013, 11:06 GMT), I think that your criticism of the pitches in NZ is unwarranted. The first and second games could well have produced results if not for the weather and the last went close as well. It may well be that the main difference between this game and those in NZ was the Duke ball. As a few others have said, playing Tests everywhere with the Duke might actually be a good thing.

Jason
on May 20, 2013, 11:40 GMT

@JMC, I do agree, but I seem to remember after the SL series it was Saker who stated Broad wasnt an Enforcer (I suspect Otis Gibson personally for that idea pre Saker) and everything seemed to work well for that series and to some extent the Pakistan series in the UAE. THen he last a yard or two of pace and started dishing out dross.

If he can maintain this form then he will be a handful, will be interesting to see what happens at Headingly.

In regards to Finn, again, I saw his falling over as a potential injury problem (Knee/Back damage especially), and so it need to to be rectified, his hitting the stumps is because hes trying to bowl stump to stump rather than when he was fresh and would bowl just outside off.

Again not sure its saker, it could be the Middlesex Coach or someone else meddling, dont forget he spent the best part of a year in county cricket, so out side Sakers influence.

Nigel
on May 20, 2013, 11:09 GMT

Shan156 - I agree with most of what you say especially the sentiment about fighting qualities and losing graciously. But like kiwicricketnut says it was a right mixed bag.

The ball definitely had it over the bat and that makes a nice change in light of the long line of corporate friendly pitches where a result in 5 days is barely achievable. There seems to be a problem with England and their mental state coming up to major series like the Ashes or India. Too often they look at e.g. NZ and think there will be an easy win when in fact they then struggle. They've done it before and I just hope that this now has got them thinking/seeing straight once again. .

But.....and it's a big but - despite the bowling efforts once again rescuing us the batting leaves an awful lot to be desired. No matter what the ball was doing on Sat/Sun the batting discipline went out of the window. Trott got a good'un but the shot was dire as was Bell, Prior and Swann's.

Won't get away with that in the Ashes

John
on May 20, 2013, 11:08 GMT

Those who are saying that Broad puts in one good performance at a time and then disappears obviously weren't watching in 2011. He was bowling poorly against SL but then came good against India and bowled well all series and that continued into the UAE series against Pakistan, where it was England's batsmen who let the bowlers down. We don't know how much his heel affected him between then and now because he did lose pace for quite a while for no apparent reason. If Broad has recaptured form as he did at the start of that India series then he will be a real handful for Australia, just as he was in Australia during the last Ashes. It would be nice if he could put in some good performances during the Champions Trophy too, but I'd gladly see him get taken for 36 in an over there to bowl well throughout the Ashes.

Christopher
on May 21, 2013, 20:49 GMT

jmcilhinney, I agree with your assessment Broad/Anderson. I think of MOM as belonging to the individual who produced the best,sustained performance regardless of the team performance or match outcome - and to me that's Southee.
MOM seems to always go the a member of the winning side even though theirs may not have been the most outstanding individual performance.

vishal
on May 21, 2013, 10:59 GMT

and that why i love test cricket !!! here is a stage where u see a bowler having a go at the batsman and batsman instead of hoicking every ball ducks it leaves it and patiently waits for loose ones.... and here is a bowler who up for the challenge bowling full swinging deliveries making him play and producing an edge...
nothing is better than the sight of stumps getting uprooted or an edge carrying to keeper or slips fielders.....
every 1 has a chance to mark an impression on the game... and showcase each and every move,every shot !!!
TEST at its best....

Dummy4
on May 21, 2013, 9:12 GMT

It is time ICC should make a decision and put NZ, WI with Bangladesh and Zimbabwe in a separate FTP programme that will allow NZ to play more and more Tests and build their team to be competitive. Seems NZ cricket is not going anywhere rather than sitting at the bottom of Top 8 team ranking though I actually see it as 6 team are in the same league and 4 teams are in the similar league where Bangladesh and Zim are catching up fast. Nothing wrong with playing more test with lower ranked, at least they will be competitive and their players will gain confidence against BD and Zim.

Tahir
on May 21, 2013, 7:10 GMT

It will be interesting to see when india visit again the english soils. Broad was compared to Sreesanth by some before whitewash series but he proved with the bat and ball as well. During the tours to UAE and India he was half fit but was also played well in UAE. In India, the doctored pitches denied him.

Duncan
on May 20, 2013, 20:46 GMT

So I was hoping others had noticed @Beefy-for-PM the concerning thing is that England got bowled out twice, yes bowler friendly conditions, but nothing over 50 in the first innings? It does look like NZ attack has more to offer than on recent tours.

Jason
on May 20, 2013, 12:42 GMT

@JCM, In regards to the use of the SG, Duke or Kookuburra, wouldnt it be fun if you had several boxes of balls that covered all three main types, then after the toss the the Loosing captain randomly drew a box of balls (numbered balls in a sealed bag relating to a box) that would be used for that game.

It might mix things up a bit and allow bowlers to have a chance of using thier own 'home' ball.

John
on May 20, 2013, 12:15 GMT

@EnglishCricket on (May 20, 2013, 11:06 GMT), I think that your criticism of the pitches in NZ is unwarranted. The first and second games could well have produced results if not for the weather and the last went close as well. It may well be that the main difference between this game and those in NZ was the Duke ball. As a few others have said, playing Tests everywhere with the Duke might actually be a good thing.

Jason
on May 20, 2013, 11:40 GMT

@JMC, I do agree, but I seem to remember after the SL series it was Saker who stated Broad wasnt an Enforcer (I suspect Otis Gibson personally for that idea pre Saker) and everything seemed to work well for that series and to some extent the Pakistan series in the UAE. THen he last a yard or two of pace and started dishing out dross.

If he can maintain this form then he will be a handful, will be interesting to see what happens at Headingly.

In regards to Finn, again, I saw his falling over as a potential injury problem (Knee/Back damage especially), and so it need to to be rectified, his hitting the stumps is because hes trying to bowl stump to stump rather than when he was fresh and would bowl just outside off.

Again not sure its saker, it could be the Middlesex Coach or someone else meddling, dont forget he spent the best part of a year in county cricket, so out side Sakers influence.

Nigel
on May 20, 2013, 11:09 GMT

Shan156 - I agree with most of what you say especially the sentiment about fighting qualities and losing graciously. But like kiwicricketnut says it was a right mixed bag.

The ball definitely had it over the bat and that makes a nice change in light of the long line of corporate friendly pitches where a result in 5 days is barely achievable. There seems to be a problem with England and their mental state coming up to major series like the Ashes or India. Too often they look at e.g. NZ and think there will be an easy win when in fact they then struggle. They've done it before and I just hope that this now has got them thinking/seeing straight once again. .

But.....and it's a big but - despite the bowling efforts once again rescuing us the batting leaves an awful lot to be desired. No matter what the ball was doing on Sat/Sun the batting discipline went out of the window. Trott got a good'un but the shot was dire as was Bell, Prior and Swann's.

Won't get away with that in the Ashes

John
on May 20, 2013, 11:08 GMT

Those who are saying that Broad puts in one good performance at a time and then disappears obviously weren't watching in 2011. He was bowling poorly against SL but then came good against India and bowled well all series and that continued into the UAE series against Pakistan, where it was England's batsmen who let the bowlers down. We don't know how much his heel affected him between then and now because he did lose pace for quite a while for no apparent reason. If Broad has recaptured form as he did at the start of that India series then he will be a real handful for Australia, just as he was in Australia during the last Ashes. It would be nice if he could put in some good performances during the Champions Trophy too, but I'd gladly see him get taken for 36 in an over there to bowl well throughout the Ashes.

Joe
on May 20, 2013, 11:06 GMT

This match showed the beauty of "Test Cricket". It almost had everything what a true Cricket fan could hope for. Another thing which made it a good test match was the pitch itself - a sporting wicket. The previous series in New Zealand ending 0-0 was on flat pitches something which gets and got a lot of scrutiny for this form and you can understand and see why! clearly England are a much much better side then New Zealand but New Zealand are no doubt a fighting team and credit to them for that. Test Cricket is the pinnacle game of Cricket and people say it has no future, actually it DOES!!!

jared
on May 20, 2013, 10:10 GMT

So more heart ache for a black caps fan, a little perspective, didn't england loose 8- 50 odd and we lost 10-60 odd so both teams struggled, i wont call it a lack of spine like it was in south africa, just share panic as the wickets tumbled, both teams bowled beautifully, i do love the duke ball and what it adds to test cricket. Poor southee a 10 for down the toilet. As for the next test, i suppose a shocker like that can't go unpunished, martin is out anyway so bracewell is in, latham and guptil wont have any scars from the first test so they should get a go for me, otherwise they have toured for nothing

Samuel
on May 20, 2013, 10:07 GMT

@JMC - it's also Saker's fault that Finn is currently bowling the garbage he is. When he first came into the side he had no problems pitching the ball up, indeed, he often bowled full tosses if I remember rightly. The the action was tinkered with: first, to stop him falling over after delivery, which lead to him kicking the stumps, and then the run up was shortened to stop him kicking the stumps. Not quite sure where he gets his theories from sometimes, although he has done a lot of good with the attack too.

Dummy4
on May 20, 2013, 9:58 GMT

Some very low scores throughout the country so far this season - consider the poor groundsmen coping with a wet summer, autumn ,winter and then cold spring.It just goes to show you cannot beat Mother Nature!

Guy
on May 20, 2013, 9:52 GMT

As an Australian fan keeping an eye on England's form, I'm torn between these two theories: that Broad has got his once-a-year good spell out of the way, or alternatively that having taken wickets pitching it up he'll learn from that and stick to the more effective method. Having watched in horror as he tore us apart at the Oval in 2009 after bowling short pitched tripe all series to that point, I sincerely hope its the former.

Moz
on May 20, 2013, 9:03 GMT

Thank goodness Broad got his once-every-two-years spell out of the way before the ashes. He can go back to being very ordinary again until 2015.

John
on May 20, 2013, 9:00 GMT

@YorkshirePudding on (May 20, 2013, 7:08 GMT), I worry that it was Saker who put those ideas in Broad's head in the first place. After all, wasn't it Saker who said that Broad was England's "enforcer" and Andy Flower had to later dispel that myth? It would be very interesting to hear what gets said in training sessions and the like because, while it's always easier to say than to do, it seems so obvious to so many what Broad needs to at least try to do that you'd think the coaches would be drumming it into him. You can't always execute your plans perfectly but it seems that Broad is often simply trying to execute the wrong plan.

Jackie
on May 20, 2013, 8:37 GMT

It appears this was a difficult pitch. I wish commentators might bear that possibility in mind when first assessing performances of batsmen. Lords doesn't usually offer such a sporty wicket - that might have confused things.

andrew
on May 20, 2013, 8:27 GMT

I hope the manner of this win will make England realise they really have to engage their brains to beat Australia later in the summer. Over the first two days they were mentally flabby: no attempt to take the initiative when batting and completely inappropriate short pitch bowling. This was obvious to everyone watching at Lord's so it was bewildering. If they don't size up conditions and match situation more quickly against Australia they will lose.

David
on May 20, 2013, 8:24 GMT

Hats off to Eng & Santa Broad. I'd have taken no odds on that result! But, like Father Christmas, its once a year, & came at a price, with Finn the only bowler even more expensive! 7/44 without a maiden is pretty odd. Anderson looks in good shape, & a well deserved 300 for him. Root & YJB are settling well. Prior proved again that he is/not …we won't go there.

Well played NZ. Great bowling from Southee, Boult & Martin were tight, & Wagner is improving by the test. (NRD Compton b Wagner was delightful, but sadly no trifecta - IJL Trott c Watling b Wagner ;) NZ need get Jessie in ASAP. If anyone could have, he'd have slapped Stewie pretty hard. At 4/21 or 5/25 he'd have gone in hunting, not to poke & peck. Thankfully, we'd no longer keep hearing that NZ "punch above their weight." I mean, who'd dare?

Best comment of the test goes to @ jmcilhinney, who wrote "Despite his not being part of the Performance squad, you'd think that James Taylor would be on the short list." Superb, maestro!

Matthew
on May 20, 2013, 8:18 GMT

Some fine bowling from Broad - now why can't we have more bowling performances like that from him on a regular basis? NZ's batting buckled under pressure. Being bowled out for 68 never looks good and questions have to be asked, but to be fair they came up against some top quality bowling. Up until yesterday NZ had given England a real tough ride and their bowling had given England's batsmen some real food for thought. I was impressed by McCullum's captaincy too.

Naresh
on May 20, 2013, 8:11 GMT

WOW - what a spell by all English pacers - Anderson, Finn and Broad are quite
a handful for most teams touring England. Bowling got them to No1 then they lost it.
SA took over with Steyn, Philander and Morkel.

Ronald
on May 20, 2013, 7:57 GMT

We all know New Zealand can't chase totals but that was pathetic.

Jason
on May 20, 2013, 7:08 GMT

This is the the frustrating thing with Broad we all know he can be a class act the problem is that he keeps reverting back to short pitched crap, I had hoped Saker had got those ideas out of him after the India series in 2011, but it wasnt to be.

As usual the Black caps didnt disappoint except for their last innings, and push England to the wire and asked difficult questions of the batsmen again.

The summer should be fun especially the main feature later on which I think england will win either 2-1 or 3-2, it largely depends on the fitness of Australias bowlers who should do well in England, especially Starc, Pattinson, and Cummins.

Changes for the next test, I would look at Bresnan, Onions or Tremlett, at Headingly in place of Finn who looked out of sorts, probably due to having to worry about knocking the stumps during delivery. Give him 3-4 county games before the start of the Ashes to work on his run up.

Raman
on May 20, 2013, 6:51 GMT

A test team goes down for 68 runs. Somewhere else in IPL madness, two test batsmen score 100+ in eight overs. This is crazy circket at both extremes.

Eddie
on May 20, 2013, 6:42 GMT

@Lyndon McPaul. I am an Aussie and I like your optimism ahead of the Ashes but you have to be realistic. As I have commented before all the inexperienced Aussie bowlers have to stay healthy for one which has been difficult to accomplish and they have to bowl to the best of their potential at all times. I just don't see it happening. Harris, Pattinson, Bird look good on paper. But it remains to be seen whether they can live up to that. As for the Pommy bowlers, they have experience on their side, plus a mental edge with the past couple of ashes wins. Swann may have not the best record against us but he has a habit of picking up wickets at crucial times. 2005 and 2009 were both series where the Aussie team had chances but failed to put the foot on throat of England and be ruthless.
And that's without mentioning the very inconsistent batting lineup. Again, I previously said all we can probably hope for is a draw in England and a close win back in the home return series.

Dummy4
on May 20, 2013, 6:34 GMT

the time since yuvraj smashed him 6 sixes in an over...he has come up as a very strong bowler!!!!

Dummy4
on May 20, 2013, 6:29 GMT

Superbly bowled Broad........incredible bowling...

Pushpakumara
on May 20, 2013, 6:26 GMT

Congratulations England,Broad and Jimmy.Root did a fine job on a difficult swinging pitch.This shows how dangerous England medium pacers are on these conditions.This is an alert for opposition batsmen who will play champions trophy at next month.Broad is always a dangerous bowler when he is at his best.

Dummy4
on May 20, 2013, 6:17 GMT

@carpathian..Luv ya..carps!Your a one eyed passionate English supporter otherwise you wouldnt of made three posts in a row to rebut my personal opinions. I know the thought of the Australian bowling attack being genuinely threatening is a horriffic thought to any Englishman who has been tortured by the likes of McGrath, Warne, Gillespie, McDermott, Hughes and Alderman over the years but if they are as good as what their early figures suggest they are it will make for some really good cricket. Just promise me you wont look away if and when English wickets start tumbling and I'll promise I'll keep my eyes glued if and when they get carted to all parts and the Barmy Army come up with a new Song. In the meantime nothing is proven till play is underway whether it be England's batting (poor atm) Bowling (has been highly dependant on Anderson) Or Australia's Bowling (young though talented) or batting (highly dependant on clarke). IMT England are favourites though I am loudly optimistic.;)

Dylan
on May 20, 2013, 6:02 GMT

Aussies will be licking their lips at the prospect of batting against 2 pace bowlers averaging the wrong side of 30 + the highly erratic Finn.

Martin
on May 20, 2013, 6:01 GMT

@ScottStevo on (May 19, 2013, 23:02 GMT) "from a team going backwards....". Nice lecture mate. Now, after many years of going backwards - why don't you tell us how it feels for Australia to be pretty far back? Bud, if you are going to come on here sledgeing and whinging you'd better be ready to cop some responses. You'll be a little less larrikin by the middle of September methinks.

David
on May 20, 2013, 4:38 GMT

@ Lyndon McPaul "Australia's bowling attack is better credentialed"
What have any of the current Australian bowlers achieved exactly? Oh, beating India and Sri Lanka at home and winning a Test match in the Caribbean, that's right. Wow.
Being injured and inexperienced might help one's bowling average but Australia ideally wants to win Test matches and Test series, no? And I'm right in thinking that South Africa and England are among Australia's rivals, yes?

David
on May 20, 2013, 4:34 GMT

@Lyndon McPaul That scary pace battery - despite their strike rates - hasn't helped Australia beat either South Africa or England, home or away. Australia's attack is very inexperienced and has had very little impact outside of Australia but keep pretending potential, media hype and first-class figures gleaned in what is now a weak domestic competition equal superiority over the more-experienced and proven English bowlers; you know, those who've actually tasted success in Ashes series; those who can win in India?

David
on May 20, 2013, 4:28 GMT

@Lliam Flynn It's true that your Great Destroyer Pattinson got a bagful against the non-entity that is Travelling India; I also note that this was his first Test series, and very few international batsmen had even seen him bowl.
No-one's calling Broad world-class, but, hey, try to use England winning a Test match as an opportunity to big up Australia.
And my aren't the latter a strong side?! Except that is when they're actually engaged in a Test series.

Cricket
on May 20, 2013, 4:03 GMT

Why Jonny Bairstow is still in the playing eleven?

Dummy4
on May 20, 2013, 4:00 GMT

Watch out England, the New Zealand team is one Ross Taylor knock away from a magnificent victory in the second test.

Ok, sorry I am deluded. we were rubbish - 30-6 after 54 mins of play. what an embarrassment...

Sello
on May 20, 2013, 3:55 GMT

if only this strip was like this when our boys were here at July last year, Philander and Steyn would loved that. But anyway, well played England, particularly Broad. But one has to feel for Southee, the man bowled beautifully only to be disappointed by his batsmen.

Mike
on May 20, 2013, 2:58 GMT

I'm an England fan and yes, we did well to bowl the Kiwis out for 68. But make no mstake the Ashes will be alot closer. Mind you I'll eat my keyboard if we don't beat them. Mabe, just maybe they may fluke a 2-2 draw. Mt predition ? 3-1 England. Even when we were garbage and OZ were superb we'd still win a Test.

But well done Broady, now keep doing what you just did. Pitch it up on the '4th' stump' invite the drive and Bingo !

Dummy4
on May 20, 2013, 2:35 GMT

Some of the arrogance in these comments are staggering.
"Broad got 7-44 against NZ! World-class bowler!"
"Pattinson played a lot of matches against NZ! His figures don't count!"
"NZ is the strongest batting lineup we will face all year!" Yes, if you exclude the Aussie 565 and 550 scores against SA and 450, 460 and 432 vs SL. "Doesn't count, Clarke did it all!" Well I claim that the English results would look terrible if you take out the one man who fires during each series, generally Cook, KP or Prior.

Give it a rest. You mob were heavy favourites going into the match but you still managed to make a mountain out of molehill for the first three days. Given the relative strength difference, barring Broads assault it was a mediocre performance.

Dale
on May 20, 2013, 2:12 GMT

Man i so hope NZ do well in the next test they deserve it. "Some" of these comments are unfair on the NZ team that were right in this game up until that fatal hour. Sure get struck in if England has scored 500+ and then bowled us out for under 200 twice that's a real hiding. This test wasn't - it was close.
A couple of warning to all you Aussies and Poms out there. Firstly to the Aussies, Despite Board getting all those wickets in the 2nd innings, the bowler who looking really good is Anderson. His movement and control in both directions was great to watch. He may just be at his best come the Ashes. To England, your batting line-up is not as good as you think, they have shown it in NZ and in this test. The Aussie team will bowl full and swing just the Kiwis did in this test, only quicker. Unless you get some batsman in form, you will struggle big time in the ashes.
Till then come on NZ lets make this next test one to remember and show we are worthy of more respect.

Shanmugam
on May 20, 2013, 2:09 GMT

Well bowled Broad. I was critical of his performance on the 2nd day. However, he has proved me wrong and am glad that he did. Hopefully, he will go on to produce such performances on a consistent basis.

And, well played NZ. You guys are really fighters. Unfortunately, your batting struggled in bowler friendly conditions that were well exploited by Broad and Anderson. However, there are positives. Especially, Southee, Boult, and Wagner, with Bracewell for support, look like a very good pace attack. Better than some other countries ranked above you. NZ got to rank higher than #8 with their pace attack. Hopefully, they will find two or three test class batsmen to support Rutherford, Williamson, and Taylor.

And, got to appreciate NZ fans. They accept defeat graciously.

Andrew
on May 20, 2013, 2:00 GMT

Well from Stumps Day 3, this turned into anti climax. The last 18 wickets in this match fell for 122 runs! So with that in mind the 170 run margin, is IMO, on the back of the Root/Trott partnership - without it, it could of the gone the other way. I think Trott & Root (top scoring in both innings) played a bigger part in Englands win then the 4th innings bowling.

Dion
on May 20, 2013, 0:58 GMT

If the top 3 do nothing NZ falls in a heap. When they stick around for 50 overs we make a score. Simple as that. If they could have seen off the new ball we had a chance.

This is the biggest issue. In NZ the top 3 saw off the new ball giving the others a chance to get in against an older ball and bowlers who were a bit more tired.

But as a long suffering fan of NZ I still think we are getting better and the bowling looks great. Well played England.

John
on May 20, 2013, 0:55 GMT

The pluses for England were that Anderson and Broad bowled very well in admittedly helpful conditions, Root confirmed his status as a very promising batsman and Trott was as solid as always. The minuses were that Finn, although he had some success, looks like a bowler concentrating more on the mechanics of his action than getting batsmen out, the England batting, Root and Trott apart, didn't look solid and Prior- well, he had to have a bad game sometime. A pair, a dropped catch and a failure to review a caught behind adds up to a game he will remember for the team result rather than his own contribution.

Still, the bowling effort from Broad and Anderson in the second innings was memorable. That gulping sound you hear is those who criticized Broad's selection eating their words.

Dummy4
on May 20, 2013, 0:31 GMT

unfortunately its normal transmission for a new zealand side, capitulation. for me the batting on the last innings was woeful, but the test match was lost in the first batting innings of NZ when Brendon played what was a ridiculous shot to give england the sniff and energy they needed early on the third day.
(and I am a fan of his captaincy for those who will use that to dispel any criticism of the man) Brendon has to learn that as captain he now has greater responsibility and that shot at that time was not that of a man bearing the burden of captaincy

What is it with our batting that our guys can't recognise the state of a match and can't apply the simple logic of shut up shop for an hour to gain dominance in a game, blunt the threat and take advantage of the conditions and bowling later.

NZ's bowling line up looks in good health with a bright quartet of young medium paced bowlers coming through, and yet again our bowlers look on and watch our batsman capitulate.

John
on May 20, 2013, 0:09 GMT

@phermon on (May 19, 2013, 21:02 GMT), MoM awards are often rather subjective and, while Broad's contribution on the final day was probably the most decisive, Anderson also bowled very well in the second innings but didn't get as much help from the batsmen so didn't take as many wickets. Anderson also played mostly a lone hand against NZ's top order to keep England in the game in the first innings so I'd be inclined to agree and award him the MoM.

John
on May 20, 2013, 0:06 GMT

@SamRoy on (May 19, 2013, 15:13 GMT), I'd agree that Taylor and, most uncharacteristically, Williamson contributed significantly to their own downfall but I don't think McCullum did and I'd pay his wicket 100% to the bowler. It was a well-directed ball that moved in just enough to beat the bat.

John
on May 19, 2013, 23:53 GMT

I hate to say I told you so, but, I told you so.....see my comments when NZ arrived in England with the NZ coach saying they weren't there to be the entree to the Ashes.

GeoffreysMother
on May 19, 2013, 23:21 GMT

We should not dismiss NZ lightly because of the last inning score. Once two or three wickets go quickly it is easy for teams to fold. It scrambles the brains of the new batsmen coming in. Thus the excellent Kane Williamson, a model of selective shotmaking got carried away and played a horrible shot (he is still a better prospect than anything Australia have got in the pipeline). England have done the same against Pakistan and the West Indies, India and Sri Lanka against England, Australia against India and South Africa against Australia.
The kiwi's need to stick with the core of this team, play more test cricket - oh and if they want this to happen Kiwi's need to turn up to watch them in New Zealand. They are worth your support and there are some lovely grounds to watch cricket. In two years time they may just be a team you can be really proud of.

Scott
on May 19, 2013, 23:02 GMT

Its nice to see the poms struggling - still. One series win against a seriously hammered India in the last 12-18 months is the only success they've had, yet the arrogance that comes from them you'd have thought they'd been number one and dominated test cricket for some period of time. They consider themselves best of the rest even after being humiliated at home by a team that only by the flimsiest of margins managed to survive against another team they mock completely...At the same time, most of their supporters have the gall to consider other nations arrogant. It's no surprise to see Prior get given cricketer of the year as its been countless times he's rescued England through this tough period where their over hyped batting line up have been consistently inconsistent...and have been rattled by NZ both away and now in your own backyard, where it was almost inconceivable to think you wouldn't be "complacent" - again...Big talk team going backwards.......

Dale
on May 19, 2013, 22:58 GMT

Mate......NZ cricket you had me hoping....you really did - then, you did what you always do and collapsed. At least the bowlers in the NZ team are beginning to get some of the credit they deserve. Southee, Boult, Bracewell and Wagner etc are the real deal and this test showed, as did the win in Sri Lanka last year and in Aussie the year before - that this bowling unit can bowl NZ to victories in the future. They are quite a bit better than "just another county team" comment that one English commentator used to describe them. As for our batting --- well, enough said really.

John
on May 19, 2013, 22:40 GMT

Give the Eng batting lineup some time. Keep in mind 1/3 of the top 6 weren't even in the picture 6 months ago and Bairstow was making his debut around this time last year. It's been how long since Collingwood retired and we yet to find a replacement, although Joe Root maybe be that person when KP comes back assuming Compton keeps his place. Eng could do worse than Aus who may take decades to find Pointing and Hussey's replacements (ok slight exaggeration but you get my point)

Jack
on May 19, 2013, 21:26 GMT

What were the batsman doing? The whole cricketing world knows James Anderson has one that goes the other way do the not do any research! Drop Mccullum as captain half way threw a series and see how he likes it! Taylor for captain! At least NZ have kept to what they know!

kieran
on May 19, 2013, 21:25 GMT

1st of all well done Broad. He does seem to perform well in English conditions. But have to say I am worried with the way England batted, except for Root. Think Compton may have had it since he was made to look amateurish in these two innings, in particular his sloppy footwork and lack of concentration. He might get away with it in county cricket but he is not international standard and also not an opening batsman. I would move Root up and introduce another batsman, maybe Taylor before we have to play the Aussies.

Dummy4
on May 19, 2013, 21:11 GMT

I was listening to Radio Sport NZ on Sunday early morning when Tim Southee ran through the England's 2nd innings and thought that NZ had the opportunity to do what it could not do in NZ, at Lords. Alas, Cricket is filled with glorious uncertainties. However, I have seen a Kiwi batsman - John Wright - defending his wicket in Sri Lanka for several hours to stave off defeat against quality spin bowling. Why didn't the NZ batsman do such a thing when wickets were falling so quickly. Were they out of their minds not to go for their forward defence? Doesn't that coach, who was so brave to tell Ross Taylor that he was going to be sacked as Captain in the middle of a test match, not telling his batsmen to put up shutters! Was he sleeping through the NZ 2nd innings?

Congrats to England, and Broad in particular to an exceptional bowling display. NZ did well to put pressure on England, but the 2nd batting display let them down. England may be much higher seeded, and playing on home soil were expecting to win, but NZ should be disappointed they didn't push a more competitive 2nd total.

Patrick
on May 19, 2013, 21:07 GMT

Good low scoring cricket on a pitch doing plenty but Eng still looking every bit the team belted at home by SA.

Christopher
on May 19, 2013, 21:02 GMT

IMHO, must as I enjoyed the rout, 10/108 at 2.28 an over outranks 8/108 at 3.37 runs an over. Perhaps there should have been two persons of the match - although none might be the way to go in a team sport.

John
on May 19, 2013, 20:57 GMT

I generally can't be bothered to respond to the usual junk posts/posters.
I think most English fans on here (despite accusations to the contrary) will be pleased/relieved with the win more than celebrating and will also realise that there are still many problems to address. Right now I feel we are much nearer to Australia,India and Pakistan than we are to SA.
Well played NZ who apart from an hour or 2 today competed on an even footing. Whether they're punching above their weight or fulfilling their potential depends on how you read it. Oh and well bowled Broad - I hope you can go on to produce a rub of consistent form from here in less bowler friendly conditions

Robert
on May 19, 2013, 20:50 GMT

I'd love to see a New Zealand - Bangladesh series, both masters of self-destruction and implosion; we could easily have the first ever cricket black hole produced.

Michael
on May 19, 2013, 20:43 GMT

Can anyone tell me what Australian fans are doing here? Picking the last remnant of flesh off the carcass of what was the Australian team? They seep under door and through the floorboards like laughing gas for us English.They lurch from off field embarrassment to offield embarrassment as well pick joke sides which are supposed to beat England. They would not have had Rogers as baggage carrier last year and yet now former one Test wonder Rogers is paraded like the coming Messiah.Then there is Clarke,walking wounded with chronic back problems. He may not last beyond Champion's trophy let alone the Ashes. Admittedly skilful, the casualty list of his personality is endless from Katich to Watson. Watson-largely discredited, Warner self sabotaging and Hughes a tragic miscast in Test Cricket along with the formally discarded Haddin make up the batting,while the bowling, much vaunted by those kings of comedy, the Aussie supporters, can't make it onto the field. Truly a better side lost today

Martin
on May 19, 2013, 20:32 GMT

@A_Yorkshire_Lad on (May 19, 2013, 19:35 GMT) - Mr Electric-loco is an Aussie. His teams chances were last seen heading west on the Central West Express. Dubbo Zoo is always a popular one for endangered species...

Martin
on May 19, 2013, 20:28 GMT

@Cpt.Meanster - "It would have been different if NZ won" - it certainly would. But of course they didn't, they lost by 170 runs. As for England winning at home they just won 4 Tests in India.

Meanwhile how's it going with the IPL? Highest bidder takes on a whole different meaning ....

stuart
on May 19, 2013, 20:27 GMT

Good to have the Aus and Indian fans on here with their comments. This coming Aus team are being built up to be the greatest team since the Windies.As for Indian fans last time we played you we smacked you home and away. Nice to see

Gaurav
on May 19, 2013, 20:13 GMT

Very good test match, great to see Broad back in form. The way England is playing they should retain Ashes. Anyways many congratulations to Eng fans.

Dummy4
on May 19, 2013, 20:12 GMT

@Asrar Chowdhury: Bangladesh team is underperforming in test cricket consistently but New Zealand on the other hand has a fairly good test record , you can't judge a team on single match performance

Dummy4
on May 19, 2013, 20:10 GMT

a good win by Eng, but hats off & total respect to the NZ team, a team of fighters who, just like they did in NZ, went toe to toe with a good test match team in Eng and gave another good account of themselves before finally running out of steam against the Anderson/Broad juggernaught........this is exactly the type of intense cricket that Eng need before the ashes campaign, and whilst Eng will deservedly start as favourites against the Aussies, it would be foolhardy to completely write Aus off before has been bowled!......there is some promising talent in the Aussie squad and Eng will have to be totally professional and avoid any complacency whatsoever if they be victorious

Robert
on May 19, 2013, 19:43 GMT

In a sense this was a close game, because for most of the first three days New Zealand held to a plan, played (more or less) to their strengths, and gave a few shudders to England, who batted like amateurs (one or two exceptions); but there was only ever going to be one winner, honestly, guys, you can't go up against one of the two top teams in the world and come away with anything more than experience. New Zealand are a growing team, and good luck to them, but they are nowhere near what you need to be a consistently successful Test side.

Richard
on May 19, 2013, 19:35 GMT

@elecrtic-loco-my-other-train-set-is-a-hornby So broad's bowling was ' handy , eh ? I wonder if you'd describe any indian bowler who'd taken a 7fer against another test team as " handy " ? No of course you wouldn't :) So , despite all your hoping and wishing and cat-calling and booing and hissing - it still remains that YOUR TEAM WAS BEATEN AT HOME IN A TEST SERIES BY ENGLAND !!!!!! It STILL really hurts , doesn't it my train-spotting friend ?? ' Bowlers win 'em they say.. ' very true - so , perhaps you could list the indian bowlers who were so instrumental in their series win over England recently ??? Oh , hang on.....
Got tickets for Headingley on friday , Western Terrace , oops , Stand - anyone else there ?

Fiona
on May 19, 2013, 18:59 GMT

Well played NZ it was such a pleasure to sit amongst such sporting fans today.for three days its was neck and neck unfortunately when Broad turns up he doesn't do things by halves......Very special day and very proud to be English for once......

j
on May 19, 2013, 18:45 GMT

This thrashing of the strongest batting unit England will come up against all year sets England up very nicely for the historic B2B Ashes this year. The forecast said the weather would affect this match, just like the series in NZ was. Unlucky for New Zealand however, they came up against a long-established champion attack. Seven-fer: well bowled Broad. Anderson still bowled better over both innings but that's the beautiful game we call cricket.

Rupert
on May 19, 2013, 18:38 GMT

Order has been restored - optinistic NZ fans never learn. I always expected that once we left the dead pitches of the last summer behind, the batting would be found out. There's a reason we're ranked 8th or thereabouts.

Richard
on May 19, 2013, 18:26 GMT

Lyndon mate, James Pattinson has played 10 tests, all bar 2 against either India or New Zealand. India's batsmen over the last 2 years have been blown away by everybody they have played, and New Zealand, well, look at today. He's played twice against South Africa, once went wicketless, and once went for over 150 runs. Harris will in all likelihood be injured by the time the Ashes start. And Siddle. Siddle is a nothing bowler. He has no great bounce, no great pace and does not swing it. We've seen him enough already to not worry. He couldn't bowl us out in his own back yard. Who's next on the list? Starc? Or maybe our old friend Mitchell?! And your bowlers are your strong hand. They'll be lucky if they get to bowl at anything over 200 all year with the batsmen you have.

Ish
on May 19, 2013, 18:25 GMT

Gives me the shivers imagining what the comments would have been like if the losing side was BD or Zim.

Martin
on May 19, 2013, 18:08 GMT

@Cpt.Meanster on (May 19, 2013, 16:29 GMT) yes yes England have won yet another Test match. Glad you noticed. England won in India and in Australia too. Why shouldn't we celebrate? And you are very perceptive as ever - it would have been different had NZ won. Quite right - there would have been about 200 more posters like you. One of the things about playing cricket here in England - we don't rely on heat and flies and doctored pitches, just quality cricket. Anyway - why are you here? You have told us so many times how much you hate Test cricket. So, why are you bothering?

James
on May 19, 2013, 18:04 GMT

Great bowling performance from England, particularly Broad and the world class Anderson. Although i can't help but think it covers up some of the cracks of England's top 6. For me its a real worry having Compton, Cook and Trott as England's top 3, especially when Bell isn't batting fluently. England have got to improve their scoring rate and take the initiative a bit more with the bat. Hopefully the return of KP will see England's scoring rate improve. I would ditch Compton and let Root open on KP's return. What England would give for a Trescothick of 8 years ago though!! Looking ahead as many posters are, the question is whether Australia have the talent to exploit any weaknesses in England's top 6. Although talented, I fear their lack of experience of English conditions will work against them.

GARY
on May 19, 2013, 18:04 GMT

@yorkshirematt Don't talk absolute rubbish, Broad is nothing like KP. KP churns runs out consistently and wins matches consistently with big hundreds. The bloke averages around 50 and you don't get that by turning up now and again each year. The fact is if you look at his year on year stats he's been unbelievable consistent since he arrived in the side in 05, his lowest yearly average is 43 in 2010, his best 73 in 2011. It's clear that you lack any subjectivity what so ever & you also don't seem to have a clue what you're talking about.

Shanmugam
on May 19, 2013, 18:02 GMT

If you are having a rough day, I recommend you read posts by @Lyndon McPaul, have a laugh and lighten up your day. Before the squad was announced, these Aussie fans claimed that Wade was a better keeper batsman than Prior because at one point in time before the India series, he averaged a run or two more than Prior despite playing in only 3 or 4 tests. Now that he is not named in the squad, they are +ve Haddin would turn into Bradman and save them. This was the same Haddin who was discarded after some mediocre performances and when their selectors realized that the replacement was not just not better but was much worse, they have turned back to an old hand.

Clarke is fine but Rogers? That man has played one test and suddenly he has all the experience in the world to combat Jimmy and co.. Test cricket is a different prospect to FC mate. I am sure Swann cannot wait to bowl to them lefties. Plenty of cheap wickets in offer. If Eng. get bowled out for sub-200, Aus. would not reach 100.

Dean
on May 19, 2013, 17:57 GMT

@lyndon mcpaul, I find it rather odd that you are trying to compare Harris & pattinson against broad & Anderson, the latter have taken the best part of 500 test wickets between them with the former barely having managed a 100. Due to his fitness problems Harris won't play much more test cricket & when pattinson has a 100 plus test wickets then we will have somethin in which 2 compare him with the worlds other leading seamers until then such comparisms as yours are pointless

Robert
on May 19, 2013, 17:55 GMT

Lyndon MacPaul - if memory serves MJ ( I take it you refer to Mitchell Johnson) ripped through England once and Oz won the match. Apart from that instance he has been carted to all sides of the ground by England's batsmen and taken out of the attack. One good bowling spell might win a match but it will not win a series. When did Oz (with or without 'MJ') last win the Ashes?

GARY
on May 19, 2013, 17:51 GMT

@Lyndon McPaul LOL seriously, the likes of Bird have played a couple of test matches against a very poor SL side at home, talk when he's done a bit more. Pattinson has played 10 test or so & got 30 out of his 40 wickets on the bowing pitches of Australia and we saw how he performed when he came up against a decent side in SA, averaged 38. He's basically padded his record against the might of India. I remember the last Ashes in England when Jonson came over with this huge rep & was a bit of an embarrassment. I think Harris is decent bowler but with huge fitness question marks. Again he's only played 12 tests in 4 years and in the Tests he played last year and was average against India. The fact is you can talk about stats all you want but you've got a very inexperienced attack & a team that's has known nothing but defeat to England.

Ftr Broad took 54 wickets @ 18 between 2011/12, goes to show what stats look like if you only play 10 tests, like a few of you're bowlers have.

Shanmugam
on May 19, 2013, 17:51 GMT

@Cpt.Meanster,

"It would have been different had NZ won."

That is the most insighful comment I have read in cricinfo. I always thought it would not have been any different had NZ won.

Re: winning away from home, I am sure Indian fans know that feeling better than anyone else. After all, India is the only team that consistently wins both home and away.

Dummy4
on May 19, 2013, 17:49 GMT

New Zealand has been playing Test Cricket for as long as The West Indies and India. If Bangladesh or Zimbabwe had scored less than 100 and lost the match by such a big margin at Lords, the whole world would have come down on them that they don't deserve to play Test Cricket and what not?

From Bangladesh- Hats Off to the Poms. The Poms showed what Test Cricket is all about- 'It's only Rock n Roll, but I like it'.

Randolph
on May 19, 2013, 17:48 GMT

Wonderful to see Broad doing well, hopefully this means he makes the Ashes squad, along with Finn. If Bell could also put in one mediocre performance that would also be great!

shashwata
on May 19, 2013, 17:42 GMT

Congratulations to England for the win. It was a harsh loss on NZ , though and you have to feel for them.

Although England won by a huge margin in the end , this is hardly what is expected of their batsmen. The batting look alarmingly brittle and ordinary with exception of Root and Trott.Cook needs to get rid of his troubles with Boult and Compton has to be more patient as an opener.Prior should not be having such a horrendous match again and his failure emphasized his importance to the team more than ever.

The bowling was splendid. I was relieved to death to see Jimmy bowl superbly and simply nothing needs to be said by Broad's spell today. Although there is absolutely no guarantee he will be as good in the matches to come.
Finny has to be much better though and it would be interesting to see how Swanny bowls at Leeds if he does get to bowl enough.

It was a good win for England. But, I for one , set much higher standards for them and expect them to deliver to those levels.

Shanmugam
on May 19, 2013, 17:41 GMT

@Lyndon McPaul, Keep hyping those bowlers. It would be fun to watch for non-Aussies when these over-hyped bowlers come crashing down to earth after getting smashed to pieces. Yeah, Pattinson has played well so far but exactly how many tests has he played in total. What was his average in India compared to his career average? If the Aussie bowlers were so great, why were they unable to prevent their team from getting thrashed 0-4 but an Indian team that Eng. beat 2-1 just two months before the Aus. series. Don't say it was because of poor batting. Andy Roberts once remarked that if the WI were bowled out for 150, they will bowl the opposition out for under 100. What we saw was Dhoni, Kohli, and co. hammering your bowlers all over the park. Eng. bowlers have inferior stats, yes, but they have also played a lot more tests all around the world unlike your unfit bowlers who hardly play b2b tests leave alone b2b series and those avgs were mostly achieved in helpful conditions.

Shanmugam
on May 19, 2013, 17:33 GMT

@SaracensBob, So, Swann who finished as the highest wicket taker on both sides and with a better average than Monty was average to poor? Anderson who bowled brilliantly in Kolkata and Nagpur was average to poor? What of Matt Prior who was like a rock in the lower middle order and contributed valuable runs and was largely flawless behind the wicket then? You do have really high standards. But, as magnificent as Cook, KP, and Monty were, victory in India would not have been possible without Swann, Jimmy, and Prior.

Dummy4
on May 19, 2013, 17:20 GMT

NZ need to keep their chins up. They have shown remarkable improvement over the last three and half tests. They should not let one bad session get into their heads. If their bowlers can keep bowling them into competitive positions they should start snagging a few wins sooner or later. I hope the captaincy isn't weighing down McCallum's batting too much. Likewise one great session from Broad doesnt make England world beaters again. But any test win is a good test win, and with KP waiting in the wings I would imagine Cook and co would be sleeping better tonight.

Nicholas
on May 19, 2013, 17:12 GMT

Excellent - now England can change the team for second test and try something new! Broad's going to be safe in the team forever now, so just rest him for next game to give new blood a run in the U.K. sun!

Mike
on May 19, 2013, 17:11 GMT

If that was Zimbabwe or Bangladesh, we know what we would be hearing right now but don't see it happening to the so called "top 8". New Zealand this year alone have been bowled out for scores less than 70 not once but twice :) something you don't see these days from the 2 other teams right below them. New Zealand have no excuses because conditions are very similar to theirs. At least a Bangladeshi can score a 100 at Lords against them unlike some :)

Dummy4
on May 19, 2013, 17:09 GMT

@herbert..check out the strike rate average per wicket and economy rate of James Pattinson, Ryan Harris, Peter Siddle and Jackson Bird compared to Englands best and tell me know who lacks control. Pace and control arent mutually exclusive you know; you can have both! There'll be no MJ and therefore no barmy army songs written about this group who also know how to hit the top of off regularly and move it both ways. Pattinson is also good at the short stuff though gets most of his wickets with pitched up outswingers up near 150 K. You say that Bell, Cook and Co love Pace? Look again at those matches when MJ was actually on target and ripped through 'em almost it seems in 5 minutes flat. Pattinson is capable of those type of performences though consistently on all surfaces which he has proven in his 10 matches so far. Pattinson has not had one bad match since he debuted so his consistency has been proven as has Harris. Has any English bowlers besides Anderson played 10 good matches b2b?

shashwata
on May 19, 2013, 17:03 GMT

Unbelievable bowling from Broady ! One just wouldn't believe that this was the same bowler who was struggling to pitch the bowl fuller 4 days ago. I mean, the lad actually took 5 wickets in under 1 hour. But I won't be one bit surprised if he struggles at Leeds again !

But that's Stuart Broad for you. The measure of inconsistency. And this isn't the first time he has sprung out of nowhere to produce a gem of a spell. When he is poor , he hardly looks like a bowler who would make it to a national side (think the 2011 SL series and day 2 of this match). And when he is good, he is simply unplayable (think the 2011 Ind series and today's spell). Good for England that it was the latter Broady who turned up today. He batted pretty well too.

How I wish he could be more consistent. And how I wish he could overcome his obsession of bowling short.

I really feel sad for Southee, though.He bowled beautifully throughout the match and his 10 wkts deserved much better than this crushing loss.

Alistair
on May 19, 2013, 17:01 GMT

Always a treat to have incisive comment like Cpt_Meanster's below. It would have been different if NZ had won. Indeed?!

michael
on May 19, 2013, 17:00 GMT

Nothing new realy. NZ have not got even one top class batsman. McCullem and Taylor are two inconsistant to be classed top class. NZ just can't bat apart from the occasional fluke. Perhaps in another few years things will change. The situation re fast bowlers is, of course, quite the opposite

Dummy4
on May 19, 2013, 16:53 GMT

@ mar2000 - That's what she said! :D

Seriously, that was a fantastic game of Test cricket. You don't get to see such cricket anymore with those huge bats and flat pitches and small boundaries.

Hey subcontient, are you watching?

Rishi
on May 19, 2013, 16:53 GMT

Broad, you beauty! Congrats to ENG. Test cricket is back and as usual the best format of the game. It is like a breeze during that "sadistic display of cricket (IPL)" going on forever for unknown pathetic reasons. For NZ Captain BBM: He only plays one inning of substance per year (mostly in insignificant games like IPL), after that he is no better than a pedestrian. NZ and IND have worst Win to Loss ratio in every format of the game among the top 6 teams for last 80 years or so. ENG is most likely win by an innings over NZ in 2nd Match.

Dummy4
on May 19, 2013, 16:52 GMT

I believe,Bangladesh team is far better team than this current NZ team & many of cricket fans spoke out about BD's performance but what about NZ??? They always showing poor performance but I wonder any one doesn't raise their voice !!!!! Icc should consider their test status.... England is too much hard for them.they should play against Ireland,Scotland,Afganishtan....

Parthiban
on May 19, 2013, 16:50 GMT

Good test. Well fought. Kiwis just need to bat a lot better.

Anthony
on May 19, 2013, 16:50 GMT

Capt Meanster: So I assume you didn't watch the recent India v Oz series? After all that was only India winning at home. Yawn.

Fascinating how Indian and Australian fans - two teams recently thrashed by England - queue up to sledge on an Eng v NZ forum.

Dummy4
on May 19, 2013, 16:45 GMT

@tropicpleasure....A lot of fans are unsure of who should open and think Watson could do better than Cowan though the selectors are fixed on Cowan and Warner. For me; I think Cowan because of his approach to batting could be a perfect fit for English conditions in seeing off bowlers such as Anderson. Warner too has shown great ability in seaming and swinging conditions on a bellerive Greentop when he made his maiden hundred. Although their individual averages arent much; together they currently are the worlds best in their opening partnerships. Australia's bowling attack is better credentialed, faster and more economical than both England and NZ's attack so it is therefore not inconceivable after witnessing Englands horror batting this match that they could do even better in the worlds most bowler friendly conditions. Perhaps I'm not delusional and you are just too scared to contemplate that possibility. To get a better Idea check out James Pattinson on Youtube. He's a Gun!!

Alex
on May 19, 2013, 16:38 GMT

Excellent conditions for England fast bowlers at home . You must be at the top of your game when you come to England at this time of the year . They will come at you from BOTH ends .

Dummy4
on May 19, 2013, 16:37 GMT

interesting day, broad decides to play cricket the way we all know he can, new zeland fans were put in their place, 8th place to be exact.

Richard
on May 19, 2013, 16:32 GMT

Lyndon McPaul. Ask yourself why England have struggled to score quickly against NZ, and before that India. Maybe because of the lack of pace onto the bat? Accurate medium pace is hard to get away to a tightly set field, as are spinners. NZ have bowled outside off stump to offside fields. Your bowlers will bring their extra pace, meaning they'll come on to the bat, and their total lack of control. Plus, our batsmen all favour pace bowling. Cook, Trott, Bell, Pietersen and Prior are all at their best against the quicks. I'm not sure you can say the same with regards to your batsmen and swing. Even the greats, Hayden, Martyn, Langer, Gilchrist back in 2005 could not handle the swing. I don't fancy your current batch's chances!

Eddie
on May 19, 2013, 16:30 GMT

As a passionate Aussie fan I agree England are beatable. But Australia would have to play perfect mistake free cricket every game to win. There is not much margin for error. In the last couple of years we have had many leads in matches and never won the decisive moments or put the foot on the throat of the opposition.
I think the best result we can hope for at the moment is a drawn series in England and a close win at home. Everyone has to stay injury free and play to their potential otherwise we are toast.

Dummy4
on May 19, 2013, 16:30 GMT

I wonder what Mr Boycitt got to say. Everybody Talk about Bangladesh Cricket and their test status but I want to know what they are saying about NZ's performance now.

But saying all of this I feel for NZ. They just have to erase it saying "Just a Bad Day".

From a Bangladeshi Cricket Fan

Jay
on May 19, 2013, 16:29 GMT

Yes yes... you English fans can continue to sing in the pubs and dance. England have won yet another test match, at HOME. This result doesn't surprise me one bit. It would have been different had NZ won. Meanwhile, in the world of Major League Baseball...

Mark
on May 19, 2013, 16:25 GMT

Interesting reference to 2004. New Zealand came ranked #2 in the ICC rankings and expected to be a major obstacle, but their reduced squad suffered an almost instant injury crisis. Each of the Tests was tightly contested, with England's backs against the wall time and again but, in the moment of truth, they always pulled out something extra and every result was convincing on paper at least, giving a final 3-0 margin.

I wonder if history will repeat itself here?

Geoffrey
on May 19, 2013, 16:17 GMT

Don't expect too many comments from the anti England brigade now, even though they were warming up with a tight contest looming. Excellent captaincy, great bowling and the young blokes like Root performing. Everything is in place to regain number one again soon, after annihilating Australia again. England showing the way for test cricket too, fantastic crowds even for a NZ test match! Well played Captain Cook..

Robert
on May 19, 2013, 16:15 GMT

Gregiones - get real! Eng the best at tests!?! That honour goes to the Saffers. Eng might, just, be the best of the rest but its debatable. To win in Indai was great but that victory relied pretty much on the performances of Cooky, KP and Monty - the rest of the side were average to poor. Without Steve Finn's heroics, Matty Prior's solidity and a large slice of luck Eng would have lost the series in NZ.
As for this thrilling, topsy-turvy test - it's been a bowlers' match. Tim Southee, Trent Boult, Martin Wagner, Bruce Martin, Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad - take a bow gentlemen!
The difference here was Trott and Root's ability to make the most of slightly better batting conditions and build, in the context of the match, a big stand. 239 was always going to be too much to chase. In the record books this is going to look like a humiliating defeat for NZ when in reality it was a pretty close-run contest.
Looking forward to Headingly. Who says test cricket isn't exciting?

Straight
on May 19, 2013, 16:02 GMT

The shot selection and patience from New Zealand batsman was below average.They could have put up a better score than that.A comprehensive victory for England though.

Amjad
on May 19, 2013, 15:56 GMT

Where are them Broady critics at??? Talk nah LOL He had been playing cricket non stop for years, he needed a break and now he's at it once again.

Dummy4
on May 19, 2013, 15:56 GMT

Even Bangladesh did not struggle in their tour of England and dragged the test to 5th day. NZ should pick the team that suits to english condition ! 68 all out !! C'mon ....

Jacob
on May 19, 2013, 15:55 GMT

So grateful that Cricinfo actually has an intelligent community that makes decent and analytic comments, most of the time...The BBC comments section is filled with absolute rubbish!

Magic
on May 19, 2013, 15:53 GMT

@Lyndon McPaul, you said " We also lay claim to the most successful opening partnership in World Cricket ATM." Surely you can't be referring to the same Australia team that still doesn't know who should form it opening partnership. And I swear you were delusional when you suggested that your bowlers would limit England to sub-200 scores. I take it you meant consistently during the Ashes. Yes, you are indeed delusional

Ninad
on May 19, 2013, 15:50 GMT

Extremely disappointed by the way it all ended. Just when we thought that New Zealand would stand up and show some resistance right till the end of the 4th innings, they collapsed like a pack of cards (yet again!)

G
on May 19, 2013, 15:45 GMT

poor kiwi birds try to compete with lions,we all know the series result before it started, some practice before big one start later on.

Dummy4
on May 19, 2013, 15:27 GMT

What's happening to NZ's cricket? They are struggling every where..they even lost to Bangladesh 4-0 and struggled to win test against Bangladesh. Something's going wrong definitely.

Anthony
on May 19, 2013, 15:25 GMT

Hark at the comments from Australian fans here. A bloke takes 7-44 and the response is "Thank Goodness he will be playing against us?" LOL.

And bad luck NZ. After all the fight you've shown, that was tough. Well done Tim Southee. If it's any consolation, I reckon your much-improved bowling attack could run through the Australian side......

Dummy4
on May 19, 2013, 15:24 GMT

The main positives for Oz IMHO is the batting performance of England.There will be just as much accuracy and swing from Pattinson, Harris and Siddle but a step up in pace and menace. Instead of the slow python squeeze to Englands Top order, I feel that our bowlers will 'shock and rock' Cook, Compton, Bell and Trott and reduce England to some sub 200 totals as a result.Our old hands in Clarke, Haddin and Rogers have the experience and ability to cope with Anderson, broad and co but will need the contributions of players such as Warner and Hughes. Its rubbish to say that NZ's batting is better than Oz; even if you look no further than Michael Clarke. We also lay claim to the most successful opening partnership in World Cricket ATM and It isnt beyond Cowan and Warners ability to get us off to some decent starts. Our main weakness is wickets 3 and 4. A successful tour by our number 3 will play a big part in winning the Ashes. Our bowling depth will count more and more with every test.

Samuel
on May 19, 2013, 15:22 GMT

@JMC - not sure. Bopara's just scored an excellent 100 in the Championship, and they seem to want to get him in whenever he shows the slightest bit of form. Should expect Bell to recover in time for Friday though.

Dummy4
on May 19, 2013, 15:17 GMT

I'm surprised no-one has the nouse to understand Broady's performance. Cricket is 90% in the head. He's batted like a moron for a while but gets a few in nicely assertive fashion and look what happens to his confidence. Wonderful match, utterly unpredictable - all the sages telling us it was going to be a real fight and that the key was Swanny so, of course, he doesn't even get a bowl. Brilliant!
Several have made the point that this, although brittle, kiwi batting line up is more experienced than the aussies so we'd better enjoy the next match as it might be the last competitive one we see this year.

Michael
on May 19, 2013, 15:13 GMT

I thought England could get NZ for 180,and 150 would be a brilliant effort at the dream end of the spectrum,but 68 AO was staggering. The wicket of Taylor was the key dismissal. Anderson's despatch of Brownlie was my passage of the match-high comedy! Both he and Broad looked irresistible by the end and for anyone backing the Oz attack over ours should reassess their viewpoint. I am sure NZ feel like a bomb has hit them. All hope for them was dismissed in a couple of hours and England should be reasonably confident that they can repeat the dose at Headingley. Southee can feel aggrieved at the batsmen,and seemed to take little from his own efforts-utterly crestfallen. Bell though hardly to blame here needs to go back to doing what he does best which is stroke making in the manner of an artist.

Well bowled Broad. Even though he is my least liked international cricketer going around, credit to him. But at the same time some of the dismissals like Taylor, Williamson and McCullum had more to do do with atrocious stroke-play than good bowling. Those 3 should have taken more responsibility and batted more carefully. NZ biggest problem lies in its batting. Apart from Taylor and Ryder (who has not played since many years) none of the other batsman have any solidity about them. Williamson for all the good things he shows still has been a disappointment.

Greg
on May 19, 2013, 15:03 GMT

England simply are the best Test team. After hammering India in India and thrashing the OZ both home and away, they are the toppers in Tests by miles.

Duncan
on May 19, 2013, 14:58 GMT

Once again, New Zealand demonstrated that they are capable of playing as well as anybody and then promptly threw it away. Southee bowled very well indeed and New Zealand's bowling and their first innings of batting was decent.

England's batting is still looking fragile but it's great to see Broad do what he is capable of - and get a few runs with the bat. Ultimately, it's hard to assess exactly what this test means in terms of longer-term prospects, given that it was low-scoring and only ended by an exceptional spell of bowling and a couple of batting errors.

New Zealand are gaining a fan here (as an Englishman) and I'm almost disappointed that the result wasn't closer. Cricket is a game of four innings though and severe failures in any one of those by either team will change the game rapidly.

Blessing
on May 19, 2013, 14:57 GMT

NZ finally remind us how weak they truelly are after punching above their weight for 3 tests in row. As for Eng Im still not convinced, they certainly need to be far more consistent. You just cant let an 8th ranked team give you a run a round like this when 10 months ago you ranked #1 in the world!! Can any Eng fan tell me what happed to that lad named Onions who played against SA in SA in the 2010 test series(he certainly looked more threating than Finn,Bresnan and Braod and I thought he would have shaped up to become a regular in the Eng test team by now)

David
on May 19, 2013, 14:49 GMT

@Millhouse79: You make a very good point. NZ are clearly a better batting side than Australia and I still maintain that these two tests will be England's toughest challenge of the summer. Commiserations to NZ. You have proved to be an unexpectedly tough nut to crack and do not deserve to be so low in the test rankings.

Dummy4
on May 19, 2013, 14:45 GMT

@gsingh7 - but how did India do at home to England from 1-0 up in the series? ;)

John
on May 19, 2013, 14:38 GMT

I'm sure there'll be those baying for Ian Bell's blood but, while he certainly hasn't lived up to his potential, it's a bit unfair to be too critical of someone playing with tonsillitis. I wonder whether he will be well for the second Test. If he is then I have no doubt that he will be selected. If he's not, who will take his place? Despite his not being part of the Performance squad, you'd think that James Taylor would be on the short list. I'd sooner see him get the nod over Morgan or Bopara. Not sure who else they'd consider. Perhaps Woakes could come in and offer and extra bowling option too. Carberry also played a good innings against NZ for the Lions but his being an opener might count against him. If half the Australian team can be openers though, why not England?

Jacob
on May 19, 2013, 14:32 GMT

Already people are having a go at Broad for being "mediocre", I'd like to see you do better! You play what's in front of you and he did so superbly. Yes, he's been inconsistent at times but once he's reviewed his performance for the next test, I'm sure he'll be replicating the same line and length and bowling full to the batsmen. A roller coaster of a test to start off the English Summer. Roll on to Headingley!

Suman
on May 19, 2013, 14:31 GMT

Oh my god, is this the same Broad we were watching for a while now? Where did this come from? Awesome performance and all the more frustrating that it comes once in in a blue moon like this.

Matthew
on May 19, 2013, 14:26 GMT

Broad is like a bowling Pietersen. One good performance to keep him in the side when people start to question him then nothing for the rest of the summer/winter

Simon
on May 19, 2013, 14:22 GMT

Easy win to England. NZ bowlers seem to do consistently well everywhere but the batting proved that the recent form in NZ was the exception.

Luke
on May 19, 2013, 14:19 GMT

That is Broad's one good performance for the year (ala Mitchell Johnson). Glad he got it out of the way before the Ashes.

John
on May 19, 2013, 14:17 GMT

I'd like to start by congratulating some of our neutral friends for not giving England and credit at all. Jolly good show. Anyway, that was a terrific Test match. A comfortable margin in the end but it was a seesawing affair that was neck-and-neck for three innings. I feel for NZ fans, who must be devastated after having such high hopes going into and all through the first three days of this game. Some good bowling by Anderson and, in particular, Broad but NZ will be disappointed at contributing to many of the dismissals themselves. There's plenty of talent in that NZ team but still too prone to this kind of implosion. Not that all teams aren't from time to time, as we England fans recall from UAE when England were bowled out for about 70 chasing about 140. Hopefully Broad's second innings with both bat and ball is a sign of things to come for him this summer. Still plenty of work to do for England but this is a big step in the right direction.

j
on May 19, 2013, 14:11 GMT

Seeing that New Zealand are a stronger batting unit than Australia, this absolute thrashing of them by England sets England up very nicely for the historic B2B Ashes this year. The forecast said the weather would affect this match, just like the series in NZ was. Unlucky for New Zealand however, they came up against an attack every fan in the world (aside from the most delusional/in denial/bitter about their own teams' defeats at the hands of England, take your pick) knows to be a champion attack. Seven-fer: well bowled Broad. Anderson still bowled better over both innings but that's the beautiful game we call cricket.

Dummy4
on May 19, 2013, 13:59 GMT

England beat New Zealand in the ist Test. Fantastic job very well done. Broad was amazing ripping through their second innings. Took 7 wickets. Bowled them out for 68.

joel
on May 19, 2013, 13:54 GMT

Cant help but feel a little sorry for New Zealand , for 3 days they controlled this match . But Stuart Broad didnt so much knock the barn door down , he blew the whole structure away . Awsome performance from a man who doesnt realise how much talent he has .

Colin
on May 19, 2013, 13:41 GMT

A good performance from the English bowlers against the toughest batting line up they'll face this year.

gurinder
on May 19, 2013, 13:34 GMT

beating 8th place nz is no big thing, india already whitewashed them 2-0. this shows why nz is 8th in tests ,no consistency and only small passages of good play. hope they win second match and draw the series just like they did in nz. sa still is top of tests and only india have drawn and won series against them in last few years. hope nz turn up in 2nd game

Hamish
on May 19, 2013, 13:13 GMT

C'mon NZ! 185 runs required with 2 wickets in hand and no recognized batsman at the crease. You can do it!!!

Heath
on May 19, 2013, 13:12 GMT

England finally show their dominance. Must have been a good bowlers wicket.

sam
on May 19, 2013, 12:57 GMT

Handy bowling by Broad and a few Ws in the bag , have to admit . But i doubt how
much can be gauged from this showing on SB's form or that of the Eng bowling as a
whole for the Ashes as he's got b/w figures that flatter him on a mine field of pitch at
Lords where even ordinary bowlers look like Steyn, Mitch Johnson . Broad has been
ordinary at best and will be mediocre and he would struggle to fit into the top 12 of
the current Aussie pace bowling lineup who lets admit have an incredible amount of
raw talent ,raw pace ,skill and not least depth in their ranks that is going to be the bane of batting lineups of all the top test teams as Eng will find out in coming Ashes.
Bowlers win em ,they say..

Hamish
on May 19, 2013, 12:53 GMT

Despite my induced pessimism, I'm going to have to look at this is in Australian terms. Over the last two series, collectively, england's batters have been out of form with a lot of low totals, and their line up looks less certain than it was after the miracle indian win. But KP back changes a lot.

Most significantly, the good news is that broad and finn have taken wickets. And that can only possibly mean one thing: they will play at Trent Bridge! How absolutely delightful!

Oh how england could have a world class attack if they had atleast one consistent and economical bowler supporting anderson/swann.

Hamish
on May 19, 2013, 12:46 GMT

First off, and let's not forget this, brilliant bowling and well done to tim southee. Always seemed capable of acheiving feats such as these, but his innacuracy/inconsistency - again - always seemed to let him down. Despite people saying that he should be dropped after not a good statistical series in march; i personally thought he bowled well, and very well in the last test. Great reward for effort.

But, really disappointed with NZ. Dominated at stages and were the much better team for so much of this test and the previous series, and after being in a winning position AGAIN, they let it slip through their hands, and in this case: dramatically. Their batters had performed adeptly throughout, but they decided to fail at a crucial moment, worst of all, to a mediocre bowler in broad. A huge opportunity wasted, but, i guess, credit should still be given for performing superbly (in relative terms) over the past two months and in better news, they have formulated a very good bowling attack

stuart
on May 19, 2013, 12:42 GMT

this is the reason why England pick him.He can get on a roll and destroy a batting line up.If he could just be more consistent then he has all the tools to be a destructive force.But he needs to bowl consistently and he will then produce more of these performances.

Martin
on May 19, 2013, 12:37 GMT

So THAT'S why we keep picking Stuart Broad .......

paul
on May 19, 2013, 12:36 GMT

you pull the tail of the lion long enough, it will bite you...maybe we are seeing why England are number two and NZ are number 8.

Dummy4
on May 19, 2013, 12:33 GMT

There is no almost..it is all over..had Hi hopes at the start of the day..the joys of being a NZ cricket follower.

Shanmugam
on May 20, 2013, 2:09 GMT

Well bowled Broad. I was critical of his performance on the 2nd day. However, he has proved me wrong and am glad that he did. Hopefully, he will go on to produce such performances on a consistent basis.

And, well played NZ. You guys are really fighters. Unfortunately, your batting struggled in bowler friendly conditions that were well exploited by Broad and Anderson. However, there are positives. Especially, Southee, Boult, and Wagner, with Bracewell for support, look like a very good pace attack. Better than some other countries ranked above you. NZ got to rank higher than #8 with their pace attack. Hopefully, they will find two or three test class batsmen to support Rutherford, Williamson, and Taylor.

And, got to appreciate NZ fans. They accept defeat graciously.

Dummy4
on May 19, 2013, 12:33 GMT

There is no almost..it is all over..had Hi hopes at the start of the day..the joys of being a NZ cricket follower.

paul
on May 19, 2013, 12:36 GMT

you pull the tail of the lion long enough, it will bite you...maybe we are seeing why England are number two and NZ are number 8.

Martin
on May 19, 2013, 12:37 GMT

So THAT'S why we keep picking Stuart Broad .......

stuart
on May 19, 2013, 12:42 GMT

this is the reason why England pick him.He can get on a roll and destroy a batting line up.If he could just be more consistent then he has all the tools to be a destructive force.But he needs to bowl consistently and he will then produce more of these performances.

Hamish
on May 19, 2013, 12:46 GMT

First off, and let's not forget this, brilliant bowling and well done to tim southee. Always seemed capable of acheiving feats such as these, but his innacuracy/inconsistency - again - always seemed to let him down. Despite people saying that he should be dropped after not a good statistical series in march; i personally thought he bowled well, and very well in the last test. Great reward for effort.

But, really disappointed with NZ. Dominated at stages and were the much better team for so much of this test and the previous series, and after being in a winning position AGAIN, they let it slip through their hands, and in this case: dramatically. Their batters had performed adeptly throughout, but they decided to fail at a crucial moment, worst of all, to a mediocre bowler in broad. A huge opportunity wasted, but, i guess, credit should still be given for performing superbly (in relative terms) over the past two months and in better news, they have formulated a very good bowling attack

Hamish
on May 19, 2013, 12:53 GMT

Despite my induced pessimism, I'm going to have to look at this is in Australian terms. Over the last two series, collectively, england's batters have been out of form with a lot of low totals, and their line up looks less certain than it was after the miracle indian win. But KP back changes a lot.

Most significantly, the good news is that broad and finn have taken wickets. And that can only possibly mean one thing: they will play at Trent Bridge! How absolutely delightful!

Oh how england could have a world class attack if they had atleast one consistent and economical bowler supporting anderson/swann.

sam
on May 19, 2013, 12:57 GMT

Handy bowling by Broad and a few Ws in the bag , have to admit . But i doubt how
much can be gauged from this showing on SB's form or that of the Eng bowling as a
whole for the Ashes as he's got b/w figures that flatter him on a mine field of pitch at
Lords where even ordinary bowlers look like Steyn, Mitch Johnson . Broad has been
ordinary at best and will be mediocre and he would struggle to fit into the top 12 of
the current Aussie pace bowling lineup who lets admit have an incredible amount of
raw talent ,raw pace ,skill and not least depth in their ranks that is going to be the bane of batting lineups of all the top test teams as Eng will find out in coming Ashes.
Bowlers win em ,they say..

Heath
on May 19, 2013, 13:12 GMT

England finally show their dominance. Must have been a good bowlers wicket.

Hamish
on May 19, 2013, 13:13 GMT

C'mon NZ! 185 runs required with 2 wickets in hand and no recognized batsman at the crease. You can do it!!!

gurinder
on May 19, 2013, 13:34 GMT

beating 8th place nz is no big thing, india already whitewashed them 2-0. this shows why nz is 8th in tests ,no consistency and only small passages of good play. hope they win second match and draw the series just like they did in nz. sa still is top of tests and only india have drawn and won series against them in last few years. hope nz turn up in 2nd game

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